The Northeast Texas Community College Eagle staff recently attended the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention in Corpus Christi and brought home 25 awards including Overall Excellence in Division 5 and third place in Best of Show in Division 3.

This year students competed in individual on-site contests and participated in workshops on various journalism topics.

Elisabeth Lively, Eagle layout and design editor, earned a first place award for newspaper design in the on-site contest. The rules require students to participate in real-life scenarios and complete assignments based on deadlines.

“In the last 18 years, I have taken interest in many hobbies, but I never seemed to excel in any of those areas,” Lively said, “When I showed up to that first staff meeting last semester, I had no idea I would go on to win first place in layout and design at a statewide competition.”

Fred Stewart, TIPA executive director, said the organization focuses on providing students extended training by giving them the opportunity to interact with working professionals from around the state and parts of the nation. TIPA also connects students with individuals and organizations that may provide potential internships or job opportunities.

“At a time when the media is under such scrutiny and facing such immense challenges,” Stewart said, “TIPA is trying to help by bringing student media operations across the state together to help provide opportunities to future journalists to improve their skills and reach their career goals.”

Stewart said the TIPA conference also offers faculty advisers the opportunity to come together, interact with each other and share ideas to plan for the future while keeping their students’ best interests in mind.

Mandy Smith, Eagle adviser, said the contests and workshops offer students a look into the real world of working journalism.

“I always love talking to students right after they compete in their first live TIPA contest,” Smith said. “They’re both freaked out and excited from the adrenaline rush that comes with covering and writing a story in a couple of hours or laying out a whole newspaper page in 90 minutes.”

Smith said it is always special to attend the annual conference with a new group of students.

“I love watching each of them come away with their own TIPA memories and experiencing that one special moment when they suddenly realize that they’re actually working journalists,” Smith said.

This year’s participants in the live-on site contest were Lively, Tahj McRae, Emma Yeager and Joelle Weatherford.

Debbie Strong, associate professor of art and education, also attended the TIPA convention as an adviser. Strong said she is in awe of the students “expertise and commitment to the journalism profession.”

The Eagle staff also competed in the previously published contest. The entries are evaluated and judged by professional journalists from across the nation. Entries in the contest consist of material that was previously printed, published online or broadcasted.

The Eagle won 23 awards in the previously published contest including Overall Excellence in Division 5 in the newspaper category. The staff also took home first place awards for overall design and front page design. In the Open Division category NTCC’s literary magazine, Lagniappe, was awarded third place in Overall Excellence and second place for Itaii Luna’s cover design.

“This group of students have developed into a really strong staff over the past few months,” Smith said. “We were so excited to win the overall excellence award for the second year in a row. These students have worked so hard and bringing home 25 awards is the result of that commitment.”

Established in 1909, TIPA is the oldest state collegiate press association and has become one of the largest and most respected collegiate organizations in the country. To learn more about the organization visit texasipa.org

]]>Stray cat living at Ag Complex gets a new homehttp://www.ntcceagleonline.com/news/stray-cat-living-at-ag-complex-gets-a-new-home/
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 16:20:01 +0000http://www.ntcceagleonline.com/?p=1025Bobby the cat has been a resident of NTCC’s Ag Complex for several months. Just recently, Bobby was given a proper home.

Courtesy Photo

Special to The Eagle

Bobby has been living in Northeast Texas Community College’s Ag Complex for months now. But it’s okay, because Bobby is a cat.

The staff at the ranch didn’t mind Bobby, but expected him to work at keeping the grounds clear of rodents. One day, while volunteering on campus with Plant Services, cat-lovers, Joe and Peg Coutermarsh, encountered the thin and hungered cat. Signs pointed to mistreatment in his past, causing him to be skittish around people.

Joe and Peg contacted Sheri Carson, director of Kitty Cove Rescue, for advice on how to approach the reserved feline. Joe and Peg took her advice and returned daily to feed Bobby, or Bob for short. For the first month, they waited for him at the fence row by the woods where he would finally make an appearance and cautiously wait for his meal to be served.

“We extended an offer of some cat food to him as he hunkered in the trees and bushes,” said Coutermarsh. “He would only come out to eat after we walked away. It took another month before we could touch him and earn some trust.”

After being shown so much kindness, Bobby started hanging around the outbuildings and coming out in the open more often. Wormer was snuck into his food, helping him regain his shape, and when the weather grew colder, Joe and Peg made sure Bob had a warm place to sleep. Eventually, it only made sense to adopt Bobby.

But first, he had to be captured and transported to the vet for vaccinations and neutering before being adopted. The plan was to transport him immediately from the vet’s office to his new owners. Two attempts were made to get Bobby into the large carrier he had become accustomed to sleeping in, but Bobby had to have things on his terms.

“I thought maybe I could get close enough and use one of my nets on him,” Carson said. “It worked on several true feral cats, why not Bob?”

Bob knew why.

“I was an unknown to him,” Carson said. “Even with Peg nearby, he refused to let me near him.”

Fortunately, the Bobby was captured the following morning. The day of Bobby’s procedure the vet informed them that he tested positive for FIV or feline immunodeficiency virus and asked if they wanted to go ahead and put him down. Carson knew it wasn’t her decision to make, so she called Peg. If they decided against the adoption, Carson was confident that she could find someone else to adopt Bobby.

“They did not know anything about FIV.I gave them some websites to look at and to think it over. When they understood there was no special treatment time intensive care necessary, they felt better about it. I just told them to be careful of infections and be sure they’re treated,” said Carson.

Bobby has settled into his new home with his new owners who said, “He talks a lot,” and “He likes to be petted while he eats.”

Joe and Peg are happy to be able to find a home for a wonderful cat such as Bobby, and encourage others to help animals anywhere they can. “We just want all of you to know that you too can make a difference in someone’s or some pets life if you want too.”

If anyone would like to get involved with Kitty Cove Rescue while attended NTCC, you can learn more about them by visiting their Facebook page or contacting Rico Willis Director of Student Activities.

]]>Hybrid courses come in all shapes and sizeshttp://www.ntcceagleonline.com/slider/hybrid-courses-come-in-all-shapes-and-sizes/
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 16:11:11 +0000http://www.ntcceagleonline.com/?p=1012Professors Dr. Melissa Fulgham (left) and Anna Ingram (right) work with students during their history and English class. The two team-teach the courses in a unique hybrid format.

Staff Photo | Tahj McRae

By Joelle Weatherford

Copy Editor

Northeast Texas Community College has offered hybrid classes to help students get the most out of their time both on and off campus for several years. As more and more courses move toward a hybrid platform, there seems to be some confusion about what actually makes a class a hybrid.

Jim Swann, Spanish professor and division chair for communications, said hybrid classes offer students the flexibility to build a schedule that allows them to be a full time student without having to be in class full time.

Swann said, however, there seems to be a misunderstanding about the way some hybrid courses are designed and delivered.

While some classes are held once a week, other hybrids still meet in the traditional twice a week setting. In short, a hybrid course replaces seat time with online activities but holds regular class meetings.

Hybrids can be identified by the abbreviation “HY” next to the class name on the course schedule. It is important for students to note that not all hybrid courses follow the same structure.

“I had a student a few years ago who saw that my class was a hybrid class, so she came every Tuesday and she didn’t come on Thursday,” Swann said. “When I asked her about it, she said, ‘Well, I thought this was a hybrid class.’ So, that made me realize that there was some confusion.”

NTCC first started offering hybrid classes in 1990.

Back then, hybrid simply meant part of the course was taught in the classroom while the other coursework was done in real world training. In 2000, the college began adding more online content to several of its courses.

Today, hybrid courses can include anywhere from 25 to 75 percent of the coursework to be completed either online or face-to-face.

Specific class requirements such as meeting times, lectures and the web components are subject to the course design as decided by individual professors and outlined in the course syllabi.

“Some of my classes are hybrids, but meet twice weekly with an online language lab component,” Swann said. “It’s somewhat different than the traditional once a week in-class format.”

History Professor Dr. Melissa Fulgham and Anna Ingram, dean of distance education, co-teach a history and English class that is different than the typical hybrid. While the class meets face to face twice weekly, the students receive both history and English instruction in a blended format. Students also engage in online activities such as quizzes, discussions and writing assignments.

“I love the class format because it allows students to receive 6 credit hours in English and history while only taking up one time slot on a traditional schedule,” Ingram said. “It’s works really well for our student athletes who need a full time morning schedule so that their afternoons are free for practice and games.“

As the dean of Distance Education, Ingram serves as the administrator over the college’s online instruction including hybrid courses.

“Some of our programs, like Funeral Services, [are] called hybrids, but they’re hybrid because they have some physical clinicals or aspects that they have to do face-to-face,” Ingram said.

Rebecca Gardner, director of funeral service education, said students are able to utilize the online platform, which gives them more time to balance their school schedule along with personal and other obligations.

Gardner said a majority of the funeral service coursework is completed online and then students come to campus for a week in their final semester and complete hands-on activities and some case analysis in person.

“I like this format, personally, because when I was a student and I was a single mom, this allowed me the opportunity to go to school,” Gardner said.

NTCC student Ariana Wimbly has taken multiple hybrid classes. She said while it took some time to get accustomed to the format, she has developed a liking for the hybrid structure.

“At first it was rough, [but] with more learning and getting used to, it got easier,” Wimbly said. “At first I was a little bit confused with the online part, then I realized that it was just certain work that’s due on certain days, and I could make time for it.”

As hybrids gain in popularity among students, NTCC is looking to increase these types of blended courses. Ingram said there are currently 57 hybrid classes being offered this spring, with plans to add an additional 15 next fall.

As students are given more options for hybrid classes, the most important thing for them to remember is to communicate with their instructors and make sure that they understand exactly what type of hybrid they are taking.

]]>Lifetime of learning becomes passion for teachinghttp://www.ntcceagleonline.com/slider/lifetime-of-learning-becomes-passion-for-teaching/
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 15:58:09 +0000http://www.ntcceagleonline.com/?p=1009Doddy teaches students during one of his recent sociology classes. The professor has been teaching at NTCC for more than 20 years.

Staff Photo | Tahj McRae

By Elisabeth Lively

Layout and Design Editor

It was the summer of 1963, only months prior to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

Just two hours down the road in Cason, a young Windell Doddy and his brother peeked out the window of their home, eyes transfixed on a white man stepping from his car and approaching the front door.

Introducing himself to Mrs. Doddy, he told her that he was a salesman for Encyclopedia Americana.

“For only $39,” he said, “your young men would have the knowledge of the universe at their fingertips.”

Out of all the moments Doddy went on to encounter, this was one moment he would never forget. All because of two words. Young men. Never in his nine-year-old life had he ever been addressed as a young man.

Mrs. Doddy agreed to the salesman’s persuasion, and only a week later, young Windell had read from A to Z. He’s had a thirst for knowledge ever since.

From first to eleventh grade, Doddy attended Central Grove, an all-black school. However, in 1971, at the start of his senior year, Central Grove was integrated and absorbed into Daingerfield High School.

For Doddy, it was what he called a “complete culture shock.” Doddy said there was a belief shared among some in the black population that they were not as smart as white people and they never would be.

But as he sat in class at Daingerfield High, surrounded by white students, he realized that “skin color is no indicator of intelligence.”

When this realization hit him, he said he thanked the Lord for sending him to the school and showing him that “talent is spread equally.”

“I had nothing to do with being black,” Doddy said. “Nothing. And you’re going to deface me and kill me for something that I had no control over? Race is a poor way to judge anybody, because the way you look, the way he looks, the way you look has to do with the fact that your ancestors came from a particular part of the world.”

But thanks to Doddy’s parents, he was taught not to hate those who wrongfully judged him based on skin color.

“The stuff that was done to my daddy when he was coming along was egregious, but he still did not hate,” Doddy said. “He used say treat folks like they treat you.”

Growing up in Cason, post-high school meant either college or taking up a job at Lone Star Steel.

After his parents inspired him to continue his education, he attended Jarvis Christian College.

“You take four years of your life to make the rest of your life comfortable,” he said. “Four years is no time. That is a spec on your life if you live it right.”

While taking his first black history course in college, Doddy began making conscious decisions of his actions. He said one of those moments came one day when he took his Aunt Willy to the eye doctor.He noticed that the word “white” had been partially erased from the optometrist’s door.

He recalled intentionally walking through it and sitting on the formerly “white” side of the room, despite the fact that his Aunt Willy sat on the other side. Those moments in life reminded him who he was as a person.

After completing his education and majoring in sociology, Doddy pursued a temporary career with a community services program.

But after the job ran out, he went back to get a master’s degree in sociology and counseling at East Texas State University. While walking across campus one day, he ran into one of his former professors at Jarvis, Dr. Lee Hensley.

Hensley had become the academic dean at the school and told Doddy to contact him once he completed his education.

Not long after, he was offered the role of professor at his former college, beginning his teaching career.

A few years later, his mother became ill and Doddy took a teaching position at NTCC to be near her. He has taught at the college for 21 years.

He said his teaching methods originated from his own college professors. In this way, he learned exactly what not to do.

“I think it’s unfair to just assign stuff and not explain it,” Doddy said. “If I just need to read, my friend, I don’t have to be here.”

During last year’s spring and summer semesters, Doddy’s teaching was put on hold whenhe was hospitalized and assigned to bed rest after three surgeries to remove an aneurysm in his stomach.

It wasn’t until June that he gained enough strength to walk again.

But in the long run, it was the future that kept him going.

“The motivation was to come back to work and still enjoy what I do for a living,” Doddy said. “Because if I had grown sour, I probably wouldn’t have come back, but I wasn’t sour.”

Delbra Anthony, Northeast Texas Community College’s Administrative Assistant to Humanities, graduated alongside Doddy after the schools in the area integrated.

While she doesn’t remember him from their days at Daingerfield High, her friendship with him at NTCC has significantly grown over the years.

“It’s just one of those close friendships that you make that lasts a lifetime,” Anthony said.

Little did she know during her high school graduation, that she would some day be sitting in a classroom, learning firsthand of the “phenomenal” teaching power of Professor Doddy.

“Everyone should take a class with Windell Doddy because most of the time, the ones who take that first class, will end up taking all his classes, whether they need them or not,” she said.

One student who did just that was Cassidy Holland, NTCC’s Financial Literacy Specialist.

Holland said after being raised in school curriculum that lacked sociological truths, Doddy both depressed and intrigued Holland of the hidden truths of our society.

“You come from a place where you think every child you meet at school has the same type of home life that you have, and every child that you see at the playground has food in their belly, and every child that you see on the street is going to be treated with respect and dignity by the police,” Holland said.

“You spent your entire life thinking that and then you come to the realization through text, and numbers, and news articles, and history, but that’s not even remotely true.”

Holland said that taking classes with Doddy changed her perspective on how she saw society.

“When Mr. Doddy explained all that to me, that was transformative for me in a lot of ways,” Holland said.

According to Holland, Doddy used to sit on the bench outside the dorms.

Holland explained that, while she never knew his real purpose for sitting there, of all the places to sit, she believed that he knew students would see him and stop to sit and talk.

During her several one-on-one sessions with Doddy, often of which involved tears, he would encourage Holland to act.

“It was never about acceptance of the facts; it was about understanding and your opportunity,” she said. “These facts were an opportunity, not roadblocks.”

Former students of Doddy’s continue to come back to visit with him, thanking him for impacting and even changing their lives.

“You never know the effect you’re having on people until years down the road,” he said. “I have talked to so many young people here in the last number of years about suicide, incest, drugs [like] you would not believe and just feelings of worthlessness.

And for them to remember me and say, ‘Thank you for what you said in class. Thank you for being kind or taking time’ that makes me feel worthy.”

By Adriana Elizondo

Staff Writer

Most people who work or attend classes at NTCC enjoy its rural setting. But, how many of them have ever considered how much time it would take for an ambulance to arrive on campus?

EMS Instructor Russell VanBibber has actually put a lot of thought into the issue and has recently started offering automated external defibrillator, CPR and Stop the Bleed training for college employees.

“This training is very important because we have 3,000 people on this campus at any given time and it’s 14 minutes before we get any emergency services out here,” VanBibber said. “So we need to know what to do in the first 14 minutes.”

The four-hour class offers three training sessions that include AED and CPR for adult, child and infant, Stop the Bleed in a major illness or injury, and how to respond to events such as active shooter/stabber and mass casualty incidents. VanBibber said this particular training is designed to instruct people on ways to react and use the AED equipment in the event of an emergency. The college currently has 26 AED devices located in buildings across the campus including the Ag Complex and the sports venues.

“Any lay person can stop the bleed, do CPR or any other training and they can call 911, and the dispatcher can tell them the training over the phone as well, and if you have a working knowledge of it, then you will know what you’re doing,” he said.

Those who participate in the training will receive course completions in both CPR and Stop the Bleed.

Debbie Strong, associate professor of art, was among a group of employees who participated in the first class held in early February. Strong, an Army veteran, said the class offered valuable training that everyone should learn.

“It’s important to stop the bleeding, whether it’s a gunshot or a stabbing or even if someone just gets hurt in the hallway,” she said. “We should at least know the basics until somebody gets here.”

While the class will provide some employees medical emergency training for the first time, others are using the course to update their skills.

“I thought I had been through all the first aid training in the past, only to find out the Stop the Bleed training is a new approach to old ideas,” Bob Hedges, criminal justice professor, said.

While the current training is only being offered to employees, VanBibber said he hopes to eventually offer the classes to students as well.

“My goal is that everyone who gets a diploma, certificate, or degree from this college will know the training and have the certificate,” he said.

VanBibber encourages all college employees to register for one of the upcoming trainings scheduled for March 22, March 29, April 19 and May 3.

His goal is to make sure that there are individuals on campus who will be able to offer medical emergency care when situations arrive. Those who have taken the course say they feel better prepared to lend a hand if they are ever needed.

“It’s been years since I’ve had any of this training, and just like everything else, over the years there are updates and changes to best practices, so it was good to be updated on the newest first aid techniques,” Brandon Glade, funeral service education instructor, said.

“I’ve always feared that if I get put in a situation where I was required to apply training like this, I would become a nervous, crazy person that wouldn’t know what to do, but the more familiar I become with this, the more comfortable I feel I would be in helping save someone’s life.”

By Adriana Elizondo

Staff Writer

Apr. 15 is right around the corner, and Uncle Sam will expect taxpayers to do their civic duty and have their annual taxes filed by then. Truth be told a lot of students do not fully understand the whole concept of tax forms, deductions, credits and the new laws for filing 2018 taxes. Everyone wants to receive money, but are people actually filing their taxes correctly, so they can receive the largest refund?

NTCC Accounting Professor Alan Carter, who became a CPA in 1982, has been teaching business classes at NTCC since its doors first opened 35 years ago. He recently took time out to offer some tips on preparing taxes and the new changes and laws that took effect this year.Carter said all single students should first consult with their parents before filing a tax return.

That is critical because the laws that changed this year are going to affect whether it is in single students’ best interest to file their own tax return and claim themselves or continue allowing their parents to claim them.

“As long as single students are under the age of 24 and still attending college, parents can still claim the student regardless of whether the student is working,” Carter said. “The reason why this is important to know, is that whoever claims the student as a dependent is where the education credits will follow.”

Northeast student Diana Hernandez, who is working toward getting her associates degree in general studies, will be filing her taxes for the first time this year.

“I was going to be filing online, with a free service,” Hernandez said. She was unaware of the new laws or that her mother could continue to claim her. Hernandez said once she turned 18 last October, she assumed that her mother would no longer be allowed to claim her as a dependent.

Carter said students and their parents need to have a conversation to establish dependency status. While students are required to file taxes to receive a refund for money they paid in while working, they still need to specify if someone else claims them as a dependent on a tax return. Single students cannot claim any credits or deductions that their parents are already taking.

Another law that changed this year does not impact single students, but affects non-traditional students who have children and file a Child Tax Credit. This credit applies only to dependents who are younger than 17. So, instead of getting up to $1,000 per child, the Child Tax Credit has now increased to $2,000 per child. This credit gives a parent or guardian of a child a bit of an income boost from previous years.

Nursing student and mother of three children, with one on the way, Elizabeth Cortes-Ramirez said, “I didn’t even notice the credit on my tax return.” Cortes-Ramirez adds, “After I had filed I heard other people talk about getting a bigger credit deduction for their 2018 tax return, but since I had only worked six months in 2018 I wasn’t expecting much. I’m sort of new at all this filing process.”

When it came to filing her return, Cortes-Ramirez knew that finding someone she trusted was her first priority. Giving personal, confidential information was a concern. “Nowadays it’s not easy to trust people,” she said. “I asked co-workers and friends for advice on who they recommended. I have my kids with me most of the time and going office to office wasn’t an option for me, that’s why I decided to file online again.”

Students will likely be receiving various tax documents with required information needed for filing a return. These records would come from the college, student loan lenders and employers. Students should try to keep these documents in a secure location, because misplacing or losing them could delay the filing process.

The 1098T, Tuition Statement form is currently available on the NTCC Student Portal under the Financial tab. This form includes information for the student or their parents to report an education credit – such as tuition paid, related expenses, any scholarships or grants received and any adjustments from 2018. Students are urged to contact a tax professional or visit www.irs.gov if they have any questions about the form.

According to www.studentaid.ed.gov, a student’s dependency status determines whose information must be reported on the FAFSA form. If the student is a dependent, he or she will need to report the parents’ information. If students areindependent, they will need to report their own information (and if students are married, their spouses). For students who do not live with their parents, they still must answer the questions about their parents if they’re considered a dependent student. For more information visit the F&Q page on the FAFSA website.

How taxpayers file a return is entirely up to them. If a person is single with no children and has a W2 form from an employer, it may be as simple as going online and finding a free filing service. However, for someone married with children or an entrepreneur with a business, it may be best to consult with a professional licensed CPA.

Carter also said that people should be aware of phone scams. He said if the IRS is trying to contact a person, they will do so through a letter, not a phone call.

]]>New Eagle Pantry helps those in needhttp://www.ntcceagleonline.com/uncatagorized/new-eagle-pantry-helps-those-in-need/
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 15:36:14 +0000http://www.ntcceagleonline.com/?p=988During the recent reopening of the Eagle Pantry, a Social Work Club member serves Army Staff Sergeant, Tad Snyder, a soup lunch.

Staff Photo | Tahj McRae

By Tonya Hammond

Staff Writer

Only weeks before Christmas, the Eagle Pantry opened its doors for the first time with only one goal: fulfilling the needs of Northeast Texas Community College students. The pantry recently reopened its doors for the spring semester by offering the campus community lunch at the Wesley Fellowship Building and a tour of the Eagle Pantry.

The pantry is open every third Thursday of each month in the Wesley Fellowship from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. The pantry is available to all NTCC students with their student ID. Students are asked to complete a form showing need.

Carmen Shurtleff, associate faculty to social work said the Social Work Club hosted the luncheon and tour to bring awareness to the food pantry as well as the needs of some of the students on campus.

“We wanted to do the event to get more individuals over so they could tour the food pantry and we could get people familiar with the service and the process of accessing the pantry,” Shurtleff said.

The lunch was sponsored by the NTCC Social Work Club, Wesley Fellowship and the Ag Club.

Shurtleff said they were pleased with the number of people that came out and toured the facility and took part in the lunch.

“I think we are slowly getting the word out, that it is available,” Shurtleff said. “We did have a couple of students access it that day, but overall, I think it was a really good event.”

Students are beginning to learn about the pantry through flyers, informational emails, donation boxes, and advisors. Culinary student, Cory Dodson, expressed his gratitude for the Eagle Pantry.

“Being that I am helping support a house of five people while going to school full-time at the culinary school, I’m working part-time when not I’m not in school, and that only helps so much,” Dodson said. “So as far as this need for it goes, unfortunately, it’s very needed on my part and my families. I am very appreciative of the fact that it’s here and it helps students and students’ families. It’s a tremendous help [and] it’s a humbling experience. I am beyond thankful that some folks here, within the college, had the want and the desire to set this up for people in need.”

Along with food items, the group recently began accepting donations of hygiene products to add to the pantry.

“It was discussed that the students wanted to do a phase two of the food pantry because we are seeing students on campus who do not have access to hygiene products,” Shurtleff said. “We just wanted to add that as a service for students just in case they couldn’t afford to go buy shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant.”

The club members are working on ways to spread the word about the Eagle Pantry to their fellow students, including those who live in the dorms. Shurtleff said the club has received a lot of interest and concern for students in need.

“There has been a very positive response from the college community,” Shurtleff said. “The social work students would really appreciate seeing the faculty and staff coming out to see the food pantry because they have worked very hard and they want everybody to see the project and how it can benefit their students.”